President and Ceo
Colorado Womens Chamber

Town Hall Panel Member

In her accomplished and successful career, Donna Evans has worked in leadership positions in public policy; strategic planning; community, business and membership development; marketing and communications. Her experience includes working in a large technology corporation, higher education, and non-profit organizations. Community service has been an important part of Donna’s professional and personal life. The ability to make a difference in the lives of people in her community has been evident for over 25 years.

Donna is the President and CEO of the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce (CWCC) one of the largest women’s chambers in the nation and the Women’s Leadership Foundation, which she founded. Through her efforts, CWCC has been transformed and now provides its members with the resources, the critical skills, the knowledge and the networks to build and operate successful businesses. The Women’s Leadership Foundation’s flagship program is Board Bound, committed to Changing America’s Boardrooms—One Woman at a Time. The Corporate Board Bound Program matches current sitting corporate directors with C-level women interested in serving on a corporate board and the Community Board Bound program trains women to serve on hospital, university, privately held, boards and commissions and non-profit boards.

Prior to the Chamber, Donna was at the Downtown Denver Partnership where she was the Director of Public Policy and Strategic Partnerships. She played an important role in the Downtown community, building relationships with neighborhoods, businesses, organizations, City administrators and elected officials. At the Partnership, some of the important initiatives that she guided included the highly successful panhandling program “Give a Better Way Campaign” which reduced downtown panhandling by over 90%; the WiFi Downtown implementation, one of the most successful of its type in the nation; and the formation of the Denver Theatre District, an innovative partnership promoting Denver’s outstanding performing arts organizations.

Engaging in another of her passions, Donna spent many years in education, particularly community colleges. While at the community colleges, her schools realized the highest rates of enrollment and retention among all community colleges.

Her community leadership roles and activities include serving on the Colorado Chamber of Commerce Executives Board (chair); CACI board; Minority and Women’s Chamber Coalition (past-chair;) National Inter-Organizational Network Board; Colorado Legislator’s Pay Equity Commission; State Elections Advisory Committee; 2010 Governor’s Transition Team—Personnel and Administration; American Red Cross, Mile High Chapter Board; Solera National Bank Advisory Board; Better Business Bureau Foundation Board; the Denver Metro Small Business Development Center, Small Business Advisory Board; President’s Council at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science; Denver’s Road Home Allocation Committee; LoDo District Board, Economic Development and Government Affairs Councils; President of the Higher Education Association of the Rockies; Vice President of Marketing for the National Council for Professional and Organizational Development, Broomfield Workforce Development Board and chair of the Broomfield Chamber of Commerce.

Donna won the 2012 Denver Business Journal (DBJ) Outstanding Woman in Business Award in Non-Profits and Public Entities. She was named as one of the 100 Distinguished Girl Scout Alumnae Living in Colorado in 2012. She is a 2010 alumni of Leadership Denver, was selected as a 2009 Woman of Distinction from the Girl Scouts and honored as one of the 20 Extraordinary Women from KOSI in 2010.

She has a Bachelor’s of Science in Education from UNC and a Master’s of Science in Management from Regis University.